


u.f.o.

by fortyfiveangrycats



Series: u.f.o. [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (in the beginning theyre like 14 and it time skips to like 19), Aged-Up Character(s), Anxiety Attacks, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Kisses, M/M, Space Wars, Teleportation, it actually timeskips to oikawa being 20 but shh, it starts getting really deadly dead in the later chapters shhhhhhhh dont worry YET, iwaizumi and oikawa both survive (its not a spoiler its just a reassurance), iwaizumi has sort of a sexual dream about oikawa but its only implied, ok there's a lil bit of sin and heavily implied sex, probably a lot of swearing, space travel, there isnt really any death for a while in this story, utopian to dystopian au, way in the future au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-07 18:43:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5467085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortyfiveangrycats/pseuds/fortyfiveangrycats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s interesting,” Kuroo smirked. “Half the time you act like you’re way over twenty in maturity, and the other half of the time, I can’t tell that you’re fourteen. You can be really stubborn, y’know?”</p><p>	Oikawa groaned, running his fingers through his hair, which he’d spent about fifteen minutes brushing this morning, sitting back in the bench. </p><p>	“I’ve got a whole notebook, Kuroo, I want to know what the universe looks like.” </p><p>	But then, the weirdest thing, a scream, not from Kuroo or Oikawa, yet extremely close, followed by a beam of light and a loud thump. Oikawa raised an eyebrow, Kuroo scowled, and both boys narrowed their eyes as the blueberry bush began to tremble.</p><p>	A human boy. Probably Oikawa’s age. Caramel skin, nearly black, spiked hair, beautiful, stunning brown eyes, wearing a dark green, tight tank top and black pants. He stood up from behind the bush, eyes wide, raising his Communicator, a white box, up to his mouth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> okay here's some pre-story notes that i advise reading:  
> -there's no character death for the first few chapters  
> -this takes place really far in the future  
> -each "section" (you'll understand in a minute) is in correlation to each character's jersey with the exception of siblings (for example, Akiteru Tsukishima is in section 11)  
> -the whole story is kind of similar to the Hunger Games in a way but the government isn't causing the problems for the characters??? there's also way more sections than panem has districts so  
> -oikawa and kuroo are slightly ooc because of the fact that they live in section one  
> -this story is named after a coldplay song!!! the chapter titles will probably be lyrics to songs or actual coldplay song titles again but it depends  
> -plz prepare yourself a lot of ships are destroyed in this fic it goes really downhill in the later chapters  
> -the only reassurance i can give you is that oikawa and iwaizumi stay alive. theyre fine  
> -i might add more to this thing later but ! ! ! ! ! for now,,, have fun while its still a happy fic

Prologue

 

_Section One is nice,_ Oikawa concluded, _although, I haven’t really been anywhere else in this universe, have I?_

He shut the front door to his unbelievably clean and formal-looking house, the kind of place that seems to suit a king, then again, the entirety of Section One was like this. The whole, darned planet looked exactly the same. Of course, there were slight differences between neighborhoods, such as district parks and restaurants, but it was all the same, otherwise. Every house was white with gold house numbers sealed on tightly, every pathway was of black stone, polished perfectly every week by the community service workers. Even their clothing was the same, white suits with golden armbands, the number “one” imprinted into it. 

The holographic screen, once called a “television,” appeared before Oikawa as he took his seat in the backyard, a garden, which the Oikawa family took great pride in. The garden was something that was different about the world, and Oikawa spent most of his spare time resting on the elegant, silver bench that looked upon it.

The screen flashed, once with the Section One emblem, then to the news anchor, who looked anxious to deliver the news. 

“A-Ah! Good evening, residents of Section One! The Section Leaders have met together to discuss very important matters, and I will now convey their messages to you. As you know, the human race was separated into Sections long ago, each going to a different planet in the sibling formation, with nineteen Sections in total. Each Section was formed based off of the likings of the Section Leaders, with their own styles and currencies. But, until today, the Sections have never been open for travel. The Section Leaders have concluded that it is time for the Sections to be opened once again for travel, and each inhabitant of every Section will receive a Transporter, which will have options for teleportation to any of the nineteen Sections. They will arrive at your households before the break of dawn tomorrow. Have fun, and be safe with your travels.” The anchorman tapped his microphone, and the screen blinked once again, shutting itself off. 

Oikawa sat in awe, staring at where the screen had just been, and dialed a five-digit number into his Communicator. 

He raised the small device to his ear, sighing into the microphone, waiting for a greeting to come from the receiving end of the call.

“Oikawa,” said the voice. “So you saw it, then.”

Oikawa nodded, despite knowing that there was no one who could see him. 

“You do know what this means, right?”

“That you’re finally going to do your studies of plants and animals foreign to Section One? Yeah, I had a feeling you were going there.” Oikawa could hear him sighing from the other end. “But what about _people_? There are so many people out there, but you’ve been too much of pretentious asshole to think about them, right?”

He groaned. “I am not pretentious, _Kuroo_ ,” Oikawa argued, crossing his legs, for his arms were occupied with holding the Communicator.

“That’s exactly the kind of thing a pompous person would say, y’know?” 

“Kuroo, where do you want to go?”

There was silence for a moment, in which Oikawa believed Kuroo was thinking hard, probably coming up with a good response.

“Section Five. I’ve heard that it’s the most beautiful place in the universe.”

“You should probably just come over, alright? My arm’s getting tired and you’re literally two houses down,” Oikawa pleaded. He got his answer when he heard the click of the line, followed by the black-haired boy jumping his fence about a minute later, landing with ease, as he’d done this hundreds of times before. Oikawa could tell wasn’t in the greatest mood— his normally messy, spiky hair was neatly swept to the side, and Oikawa concluded that his mother had done this. She _always_ did Kuroo’s hair for him, despite his efforts to mess it up again.

With his neater appearance, he looked far more solemn than badass, and in countless ways, this made Oikawa uncomfortable. Kuroo, obviously, felt the same. 

“So...” Oikawa began, “Section Five?”

Kuroo nodded. “We could go together, if you want. I mean, when we get the Transporters.”

Oikawa tilted his head. “Maybe. I was thinking of going to Section Four. My parents have told me that it is filled with beautiful specimens. _Including_ the humans. Apparently my father has a very distant relative in Section Four, traced back to their ancestors. The ancestors decided to go to different Sections when they were choosing the population for each one.”

“Four, hmm?” Kuroo pursed his lips. “You really just want to see the weird animals and plants, don’t you?”

“So what if I do?”

“It’s interesting,” Kuroo smirked. “Half the time you act like you’re way over twenty in maturity, and the other half of the time, I can’t tell that you’re fourteen. You can be really stubborn, y’know?”

Oikawa groaned, running his fingers through his hair, which he’d spent about fifteen minutes brushing this morning, sitting back in the bench. 

“I’ve got a whole notebook, Kuroo, I want to know what the universe looks like.” 

But then, the weirdest thing, a scream, not from Kuroo or Oikawa, yet extremely close, followed by a beam of light and a loud thump. Oikawa raised an eyebrow, Kuroo scowled, and both boys narrowed their eyes as the blueberry bush began to tremble.

A human boy. Probably Oikawa’s age. Caramel skin, nearly black, spiked hair, beautiful, _stunning_ brown eyes, wearing a dark green, tight tank top and black pants. He stood up from behind the bush, eyes wide, raising his Communicator, a white box, up to his mouth. 

“Hajime!” A voice shouted, coming from the box. “Hajime, are you alright?”

The boy cleared his throat. “Houston, we have a _holy fuck_.”

“Actually, his name’s Tooru, but you’re close enough,” Kuroo snorted. Oikawa punched him in the gut. 

“I-Is this Section One?” The boy looked in awe at Oikawa and Kuroo, who sat quite regally on the bench, both nodding.

Oikawa tilted his head, trying to take a better look at the foreign boy. He had a bandage wrapped around one elbow, and the other arm had a cuff with a number four engraved into it. He was a Section Four resident. 

There was dirt smeared under his eye, a cut on his jawline, and a bruise on the wrist without the Transporter sleeve. He gave off an intimidating presence, like he was prepared to fight Oikawa and Kuroo and any second. 

“Did you already receive your Transporter?” Oikawa asked, narrowing his eyes. 

The Section Four boy nodded. “It was delivered to my family as soon as the announcement was finished. I wanted to try it right away. My friends and I have been planning this for years.”

“Years?” Kuroo leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. 

“M’dad works for the council of Section Four,” the boy explained. “But mom is the Section Leader, so I guess... I guess I got insight before anyone else did.”

Oikawa’s eyes widened in awe. 

His Communicator buzzed again, crackling and spitting until he picked it up and answered it.

“Yes? I’m fine, alright, I said so before, Noya, please calm down. I’ll come back soon. I promise.” He put the little box in the pocket of his pants and regained eye contact with Oikawa. He felt his heart shoot out of his chest. The boy’s stare really _was_ intense.

He bowed to Oikawa and Kuroo. “I apologize for falling into your backyard. It’s quite lovely here. Um, I should probably go, though, my friends are waiting for me back at home.” He gestured to his Transporter, ready to press a button and disappear back into the depths of the universe once again. 

Oikawa likes to think before he does things. He hates moving on impulse, but this kid has drawn his attention, and there’s no going back when he jumps off the seat, lurching forward and grabbing the Section Four boy’s wrist, the free one, the one without the Transporter.

“Please, wait,” Oikawa breathed out, the Section Four boy’s brown eyes looking intently at his, a bit nervously.

“You did not tell us your name,” he said. “We didn’t get to introduce ourselves. Don’t you want to take a look around Section One? You just saw the garden, nothing else.”

The boy stepped back, clearing his throat, clenching his fists. 

“I am Iwaizumi Hajime, from Section Four. I am fourteen years old.”

_Iwaizumi Hajime._

Oikawa smiled gently. “Welcome, Iwaizumi. I am Oikawa Tooru. I am also fourteen years old.” He pointed to Kuroo, gesturing for him to introduce himself as well.

“Oh, yeah, I’m Kuroo Tetsurou. I will be fourteen in a week. I plan on traveling to Section Five tomorrow.”

“Tooru!” A voice shouted from above, and the window directly overhead of Kuroo swung open, Oikawa’s mother frowning at him. “Who’re you talking to?”

She stopped as soon as the word left her mouth, gaze settling on Iwaizumi, who surely, must have been the strangest sight to ever cross her mind. 

“We’ve already got a traveller?” 

Iwaizumi waved. “I’m from Section Four.”

Oikawa’s mother’s gaze softened, and she smiled gently. “Tooru, you should show him around the Section, hmm? It’s quite nice here.” She shut the window, leaving the three boys in the garden to talk amongst themselves again. 

Iwaizumi’s eyes glittered, smiling eagerly. 

“Alright, then,” he began, “show me Section One, will you?”

 


	2. a head full of dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At fifteen, Iwaizumi knows his way around Section One, he's made friends, and his friends have made friends. Everything's different, he concludes. It's almost scarily accurate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really like this chapter tbh
> 
> there's almost no dialogue in this chapter, it's mainly description and iwaizumi's thoughts
> 
> edit: fixed a typo, it originally said "hair hair" and i changed it to "his hair", sorry for anyone who's already read that omg

 

It’s been a year since Iwaizumi was offered a tour of Section One.

He hasn’t left.

As soon as he’d left Section Four, his parents knew he’d be gone for a while, having told him about the traveling opportunity prior to the announcement on the day of his departure. He missed them, yes, but he also knew he could go and visit anytime, and he did. Iwaizumi visited during the holidays, a month after he left, again on his birthday in June, and occasionally to say hello to his friends or grab something from the house. He’d brought over his jacket, a notebook, a fountain pen, an exploration kit, and a bow his father had made him, and he kept them all in a small box under the bed he shared with Oikawa.

That was the other thing– he was almost immediately adopted into the Oikawa household upon his arrival, as soon as the tour of Section One was over, they invited him over for dinner, and he slept over, assuming it would only be one night. But he stayed the next night, and the night after that, and it became weeks and months before he realized that _here_ was his home, not Section Four, as much as he loved it. 

Iwaizumi liked how it was always sunny outside, how the sky looked almost white, like everything else on the planet. The houses, the sidewalks, the trees, everything seemed to be white. _Except for Oikawa’s garden,_ he corrected himself. Apparently his family had smuggled heirloom plants onto the spaceship when Oikawa’s great-great-grandparents first landed on the solitary planet. 

He wants to be able bring Oikawa over to Section Four, but for some reason, Oikawa refuses every time, no matter how often he talks about traveling the universe and wondering what Iwaizumi’s friends are like. He’s introduced Oikawa to a few of them via video chat, Bokuto and Nishinoya both excitedly ranting to them both in every conversation about this and that. 

Kuroo, whom he’d met on his entry day, had traveled everywhere, but constantly was going back and forth between Sections One and Five, often bringing his travel partner back with him, a kind and witty boy named Kenma, whom Kuroo had grown fond of in his year of travel. Kuroo’s mother had even begun to accept his rapid change in maturity, letting him become more independent and giving him the right to wear his hair all messy and wild. Iwaizumi always saw a new element in his character each time he returned from travel, with a new story to tell and countless pictures he’d taken. Iwaizumi dreamed of being as productive as Kuroo.

Instead, he enjoyed the little things, like how Oikawa had only played board games, involving little cards and metal pawns, which Iwaizumi laughed for twenty minutes at when Oikawa first opened the small cabinet in his room. As much as he laughed, however, he was amazed at the beauty and intricacy of each piece, how decorated and glowing each of them seemed to be, the patterns stamped and painted onto every card, the liveliness sewn into every board. He was in awe, at the very least. But, he still taught Oikawa how to play his favorite games, which involved climbing trees and words that reminded him of stories, but his favorite involved a lot of running. He soon learned that Oikawa hates running more than anything– mainly because it messes up his hair– so Iwaizumi traveled back to Section Four and snuck into the house to grab a few of his favorite pins of his mother’s, silver with letters engraved into them, none of which meant anything, yet they expressed so much. Oikawa always keeps one of them with him, and that warms Iwaizumi’s heart.

He noticed that Oikawa sleeps either on his back— hands folded neatly, crossed over his stomach, as if he were on display— or on his side, arms messily draped around Iwaizumi’s own body, grasping gently at the fabric in his sweet slumber. His eyelashes look fragile in sleep, _like wings of a butterfly,_ Iwaizumi thinks, but he keeps his comments to himself. It’d be best not to wake him. His lips are soft, Iwaizumi just knows,maybe even softer than his hands, which reminded him of the comfort of a newly-made fleece blanket. It was possible that Iwaizumi would hold those hands for real someday, he dreams, he sincerely dreams. 

Oikawa never has nightmares. He has never dreamed of what it is like to watch a friend die or see a monster he could literally only fathom in the darkest depths of his imagination, and for that, he is the purest form of human being. Oikawa does not know how to comfort Iwaizumi when he wakes from harsh tales of the boy he sleeps next to, mangled and turned cold and destroyed from the inside out, but he still hugs Iwaizumi, still holds him tight until they fall asleep again, and that’s all he needs. Iwaizumi doesn’t think he’ll ever tell Oikawa of the dreams he has about him, how they range from the calmest of oceans– hands running through Oikawa’s hair, flower chains in the garden– to rough and stormy nights that leave Iwaizumi regretting his existence, to even dream of himself and his best friend sharing a passionate kiss under the roaring waters of the shower. He truly hates himself for creating such a fantasy. 

Bokuto once told him of a dream like this, but he’d never met anyone like the person he dreamt of, and he claimed he would find them again, someday. Iwaizumi didn’t believe him at first, but when his mother told him of the passages opening again, he watched as Bokuto’s eyes lit up, and Iwaizumi knew that even a year after that dream had occurred, he still remembered every moment of it. 

Oikawa had friends other than Kuroo, Iwaizumi learned, and there was quite the large population in Section One, especially in Oikawa’s neighborhood. His favorite of Oikawa’s friends was probably Daichi, who always played along with them, especially when Iwaizumi taught him the rules to “Manhunt”, a personal favorite back in Section Four. The “it” person was always Oikawa, of course, and they learned quickly that his long legs could carry him quickly, and he often found the other players quickly. _He hasobservant eyes,_ Iwaizumi thought. _They’re beautiful._

Rightfully, he was a bit scared of Ushijima, another boy in Oikawa’s neighborhood—who was even quieter than Kenma— and when he spoke, it was usuallyto Oikawa, about how they should hang out more often, and for some odd reason, it hit every nerve of Iwaizumi’s. He tried to pay attention to the others, like Terushima, or Yui— whom Iwaizumi was almost positive had a big crush on Daichi— but it still managed to bug him. He tended to drag Oikawa back to the house when Ushijima made a comment like that. 

Their friend circle grew ever so quickly, and it was amusing to Iwaizumi when Kuroo visited while he was video chatting with Bokuto, and the two boys bonded immediately. Iwaizumi thought he was just sleep deprived at the time (he was, but that’s not the point) when Kuroo disappeared from in front of him and appeared on the screen instead, but it was most assuredly real, and poor Kenma had been dragged along as well. Kuroo was instantly adopted into Iwaizumi’s childhood friend group as well.

Iwaizumi loved taking walks outside with Oikawa, but he liked the walk home better, because they always stayed outside until the sun began to go down, and the sunlight fell delicately on Oikawa’s porcelain skin. He could just barely see Oikawa’s freckles, pleasantly dappling his nose and just under his eyes, and Iwaizumi wants to know if he was born with them, or if he’s really prone to getting freckles because of all of the time he spends outside. Sometimes they make quiet conversation, recapping the day, but most of the time, it’s a walk of silence, so comfortable that there’s nothing in need of being said, it’s all expressed in the way they walk and bump into each other and clench their fists and tap their shoes against the sidewalk.

When they get back home, they lie on the bed, looking up through the ceiling, a simple glass panel (when Oikawa gets sad, he flips a switch, and a white screen covers the glass panel. He needs privacy a lot), at the stars, at the sister planets that they hadn’t been to, all of the places they would go. Oikawa would ask questions about Section Four, what it was like, and Iwaizumi would promise to take him there the next day, but they would never go, and they would repeat the same process every day. 

They’d pull out their notebooks— Oikawa’s, a journal, Iwaizumi’s, a sketchbook— and create their own worlds, Oikawa would write for hours upon hours if he had the time, which, he did. Iwaizumi would ask what he was writing about, and it was always something different—sometimes about subtle things, like the changes in the wind over the course of the day— but some were more obvious, writing about his feelings or things people said. 

Iwaizumi, on the other hand, drew Oikawa, in all of his forms— his happiest moments, his saddest moments— because Oikawa Tooru was the most beautiful being he’d ever encountered, and Iwaizumi’s fountain pen could create a perfect rendition of him. Whenever Oikawa asked what he was drawing, he would respond with “I’ll show you someday,” which earned many groans and exasperated sighs, but he knew it would pay off eventually.

 

He sits down next to Oikawa, pursing his lips. It’s late at night, but neither of them have fallen asleep. Iwaizumi can hear the soft breathing of Oikawa’s parents in the next room, the clicking of the air heater turning on. Oikawa runs his hands through his hair, finding the silver pin and pulling it slowly out of his hair, setting it down gently on the table next to his bed. Iwaizumi tends to imagine things— like how he sincerely hoped Oikawa had blushed when they had to hold hands to climb the tree earlier that day— but he was fairly sure that the tear rolling down Oikawa’s cheek was one-hundred percent real. His eyes are fixed on the white wall of his bedroom.

“We could run away,” Oikawa whispers, almost in a whimper. “Could we?”

Iwaizumi doesn’t respond out loud, although his heart is beating fast. He tugs on Oikawa’s sleeve and pulls him into bed, contemplating a genuine kiss on his best friend’s baby-soft skin in the depths of the night. 

“Oikawa,” he whispers back, “what should we get for Kuroo’s birthday?”

Oikawa smiles, and Iwaizumi feels reassured. 

“Let’s get him a better personality.”

“You’re an asshole, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi laughs. “He’s not even close to horrible.”

At this point, Oikawa’s giggling, and Iwaizumi’s heart skips a beat when his soft hands make their way to his waist, and his rests his head on Iwaizumi’s chest. His eyes are closed, breathing slowed to a steady, gradual pace. Iwaizumi never gets tired of it, his figure composed of galaxies and stars and planets far more beautiful than the ones in space. As long as he is with Oikawa Tooru, he is safe, he concludes. 

It’s almost creepily accurate.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! hope u liked !!!!
> 
> tumblr || fortyfiveangrycats / nekomoms


	3. adventure of a lifetime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi finally, finally gets Oikawa to travel with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter's gonna be better than this one tbh,,,,

“Tooru,” Oikawa hears from the other side of the bed— a low grumble from his best friend— as they’re just waking up. It’s a new thing for them, first names, but Oikawa likes it, he likes people other than Kuroo and his family calling him by his first name.He likes the way his name falls off of Iwaizumi’s tongue, how he says it quietly, and every time it makes Oikawa a little bit happier. By now, they’re sixteen, they’ve known each other for two whole years, and they’d definitely call each other ‘best friends’.

“Hajime,” he responds, rolling over to look at his best friend, sunlight glowing off of the two of them. Iwaizumi’s eyes go wide as they bump noses, followed by a quiet laughter. Oikawa gives him a shy smile, something he doesn’t do often, but he can’t help it when his insides are excited in their first minute of consciousness. 

“Good morning,” they say in unison, sitting upright and stretching— arms, legs, back muscles. 

Iwaizumi’s eyes lock with his, and his heart skips a beat, and he curses at himself in his head. 

“Tooru, today,” is what he says, and Oikawa’s confused. 

“What? What’s today?” 

“I’m gonna take you to Four today,” whispers Iwaizumi, with a new confidence that Oikawa can’t quite define. It’s kind of attractive to him, he concludes in his head. Really, really attractive, especially when Iwaizumi smirks at him, standing up to go get ready for the day. Oikawa, on the other hand, sits there in awe, wondering what just happened.

He picks up his Communicator and pulls Kuroo onto a video chat, still sitting in bed, but anxiously trying to fix his hair before his friend appears on screen. It sort of works for him. Kuroo laughs at him as he appears on the wall of Oikawa’s bedroom. 

“So,” he begins, “why’d you call me this time?”

Oikawa shrugs his shoulders. “Not much, really, but... I was wondering if you would like to meet Hajime and I at Section Four today?”

Kuroo looks as surprised as Oikawa had felt just moments ago. 

“Travel... You? Traveling? Wow, that’s new,” he chuckles, running a hand through his hair, looking over to his side. “Kenma, let’s go to Four today, alright? Oikawa and Iwaizumi are traveling there today.” 

There’s a groan that Oikawa knows well enough to be sleep-deprived Kenma, followed by a few nods from Kuroo and a lot of shoulder shrugging. 

“Yeah, Kenma’s okay with that. Is noon alright? He might need a bit more time to sleep,” Kuroo says, shaking Kenma off-screen with the palms of his hands. 

 

When both of them are ready for the day, it’s nearly eleven in the morning, and Iwaizumi and Oikawa sit down for breakfast, eating quickly and in complete silence, Oikawa’s stomach twisted with excitement at the fact that he would be traveling to a completely different planet— let alone, Iwaizumi’s _home planet_ — today.

“You know,” Oikawa begins, eating some cereal, “you’re like an angel, Iwaizumi.”

Iwaizumi spits a mouthful of orange juice back into his cup and looks up at Oikawa, eyes wide and eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

“What?” He asks, “A-An angel?”

“Yeah, you fell from the sky, and you were all glow-y and stuff,” Oikawa rambles, not entirely sure of what he’s saying. 

“You’re weird,” Iwaizumi grunts, and he looks back down at his glass, no longer having an appetite for his half-regurgitated orange juice. “You’re also tired, I’m assuming.”

Oikawa nods in response. “Not enough _sleep_ , Hajime, I need sleep to keep my skin clear and these stupid dark circles from getting under my eyes,” he whines with a frown. 

Iwaizumi narrows his eyes, raising an eyebrow at Oikawa. “Personally, I think they look kind of good on you,” he began, but continued speaking as he heard Oikawa’s angry retorts. “I _mean_ , it makes you look kind of tough, instead of the big baby you really are.”

“I’m not a baby,” Oikawa pouts, and Iwaizumi flat-out giggles. 

 

Oikawa has never traveled before. He’s never left the planet, he’s barely ever left his own neighborhood, and he’s absolutely petrified to go with Iwaizumi to his home planet. He has his Transporter, but Iwaizumi tells him often that he won’t need it if they travel together, especially if they want to land in the same place. Iwaizumi has only used his own Transporter a few times, but he’s confident in his abilities and he knows what he’s doing. 

Iwaizumi steps out of Oikawa’s front doorway, and he’s wearing the outfit he always travels in, the first one Oikawa ever saw him in, that stupid green tank top and his baggy black pants. His Transporter is obvious on him, a bright white overlapping well-tanned skin and a dark outfit, and it looks like he’s glowing in Oikawa’s mind. He holds out his hand, and Oikawa stops thinking for a second and just looks at Iwaizumi’s hand, not entirely sure of why he’s holding out his hand or any of the context for it.

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi grunts. “Take my hand.”

Oikawa snaps back, completely startled, although not necessarily _surprised._

“Your hand? Wh-Why?”

Iwaizumi sighs, “What, would you rather hold onto my leg? You need to hold onto me somehow if we’re planning on landing in the same place. Otherwise, you’re going to end up somewhere random in Section Four, and I’m going to have to come and get you.”

“Oh,” Oikawa nods, taking his best friend’s hand, which is rough and calloused, as opposed to his soft, smooth, pale hands. It feels completely natural, like they’ve been holding hands for years, but there’s something about the gesture that makes Oikawa’s heart shoot out of his chest. He can’t help but wonder at this moment— this moment where Iwaizumi’s eyes are on him like he’s the only person in the world, where they’re holding hands, getting ready to travel to his home planet— if he could get away with bringing Iwaizumi closer to him, brushing a sweet kiss onto his lips. He wonders.

“You ready?” Iwaizumi nudges his shoulder, and he snaps back into reality again, a bit saddened by the fact that he didn’t have a chance to contemplate his new thought process that had popped into his head.

Oikawa gives a short nod, and Iwaizumi squeezes his hands tightly, a little beep from the Transporter tells Oikawa that they’re about to disappear from Section One without a trace. He holds onto Iwaizumi with all of his might as they’re being carried over, and they hit the ground with a crash. Iwaizumi’s arms envelop Oikawa as soon as they arrive on Section Four, surrounding him as they collide with solid ground. 

“We’re here,” Iwaizumi groans, letting go of Oikawa, brushing dirt off of his outfit. There’s a twinge of pain in his voice, and Oikawa watches with concern as Iwaizumi pulls bandage wrap out of his pocket and wraps his hand, covered in tiny cuts from receiving the fall. 

“Hajime, oh god,” he leans over and takes Iwaizumi’s hand again, rubbing it gently. “You need to be more careful, you idiot.”

“I wanted to make sure your first fall was okay, though,” Iwaizumi sighs, “I didn’t want your white outfit to get covered in dirt, either.”

They both stand up, looking out at the beauty of Section Four, and Oikawa gasps. It’s breathtaking. There are trees everywhere, a dirt road that runs through the town, small, wooden houses everywhere, birds of colors flying everywhere, and Oikawa’s shaking in excitement. There are houses _in_ the trees, as well, and the sky is a vivid blue, and there are little animals that Oikawa has never seen running around on the ground all over the place.

Right in front of them, a large house with a stone pathway, some flowers growing in little tin boxes, a metal plate that says “IWAIZUMI FAMILY” in bold letters. 

“That’s... _yours_ ,” Oikawa gapes, and Iwaizumi nods. 

“Yeah, that’s mine,” he says. “We gotta find Kuroo and Kenma, though. They’re probably at Bokuto’s, now that I think about it.”

He takes Oikawa’s arm again, leading him in the direction of Bokuto’s house, which resembled Iwaizumi’s greatly. Same stone path, same wooden exterior, and a lot of little flowers and trees. Oikawa beamed with pride at the beauty of Section Four. 

Surely enough, the three guys are sitting on Bokuto’s front lawn, legs crossed, sitting in a small circle. They’re discussing something that makes Kenma smile, something— Oikawa has noticed— he doesn’t do very often. It’s nice, Kenma’s smile, a warm sunny day, a few clouds dotting the skies. Kenma’s smile looks like a clear morning in Section One. 

Bokuto waves to Iwaizumi and Oikawa as they approach, his golden eyes lighting up like a flashlight, Kuroo and Kenma standing up next to him. They all meet together in a small formation, and without any other form of communication, Iwaizumi takes the front of the group with Bokuto and leads them through the little neighborhood.

Despite all of the video calls, Oikawa always believed that it was much better meeting with his friends in person. Bokuto was much more cheerful in person, radiating with positive energy, almost overwhelmingly so. Kuroo had been sending many more video calls recently, due to his travels with Kenma, and they would show Oikawa and Iwaizumi little snippets of each of the Sections. Oikawa secretly envied them, but here, being able to travel, he felt comforted by the presence of his friends.

Section Four doesn’t get any less dense when it comes to forests— the trees continue on for miles and miles— and Oikawa couldn’t help but stare in awe at little elevators installed into sides of trees that citizens could use to climb up to the tops of trees for a nice view. Iwaizumi had mentioned that his family often used them to watch the sunsets, gathering together and watching as the sun sank down behind the shade of the forests, painting the skies with vibrant shades of oranges, pinks, and even purples. Oikawa thought of watching the skies with Iwaizumi, like how they often walked home in the sunsets, sometimes through his skylight in his bedroom. But somehow, it seemed so much more interesting to watch the sunset from the top of a tree, how foreign of a concept it was to him.

They’ve walked for hours, and Bokuto mentions this right before the actual sunset makes an appearance, and the five boys come to a conclusion that they’d travel somewhere else, and that’d be their last journey of the day.

“We should go to Five,” Kuroo offers, “I swear, you guys’ll love it.”

Kenma nods in agreement, “It’d be nice to show them around, too. Maybe they could meet some of my friends.” 

Kuroo’s face lights up at the comment, and it occurs to Oikawa that Kuroo’s probably met all of Kenma’s friends already, that this would be no new thing for him. Still he agrees, and soon, Iwaizumi’s holding his hand again. 

“H-Hajime?” He jumps at the touch, and Iwaizumi rolls his eyes.

“We’re just traveling again, you idiot,” he sighs, and in a flash, they’re gone again. 

Luckily for Oikawa and Iwaizumi, Kenma had grabbed onto Iwaizumi’s arm when they clicked the Transporter’s button, and the entire group of them was safely carried over to the same spot in Section Five. The fall wasn’t nearly as painful, and Oikawa caught himself as they dropped onto the black pavement of Section Five.

It was much different than Section Four, he immediately concluded. The entirety of Five was black— the complete opposite of his own Section— black streets, black houses, even the skies were grayish to fit in with the dark atmosphere. 

Oikawa sat up, looking around at the scenery, making small noises in awe at the difference between this Section and Four, and Bokuto expression seemed just as surprised. Iwaizumi wasn’t making a big deal of it, but he looked impressed, and Oikawa smiled to himself. Kuroo and Kenma, on the other hand, were expressionless, having been to Section Five many, many times before. 

“Hey, oh _god_ , are you guys okay?” Oikawa could hear a voice from above him, and looking to the skies, he could see the face of another boy— roughly his age— looking down on the group from the top of a building. Like the rest of the Section, he was wearing all black, but his eyes were a deep green color— Oikawa could see that, even from how far away he stood. 

Oikawa watches in awe as he leaps down from the rooftop without effort, stretching his arms as his feet his the ground. 

He also watches as Bokuto freezes in place, his face paling. 

“What?” The boy asks, an unamused expression on his face. “What’re you staring at?”

 

“It’s you,” Bokuto whispers, his eyes wide. “I’ve been dreaming of you.”

The other boy’s eyes show an emotion that Oikawa can’t read, like he’s baffled and furious and interested all at the same time. There isn’t a good enough word to describe it. 

“What do you mean? I’ve never seen you in my life,” he hisses, reaching into his pocket for something beyond Oikawa’s knowledge.

“I’ve had dreams,” Bokuto’s voice quivers, “and you were in them.”

Oikawa can see the visible twitch in the other boy’s eye, and his hand slides further into his pocket. 

“Akaashi,” Kenma seethes, “please don’t do anything to him. He’s ridiculous, we know, so can you just _try_ to ignore him?” 

The other boy, Akaashi, raises an eyebrow at Kenma, and walks a few steps closer to Bokuto, still with a clearly unimpressed look on his face. Oikawa began to wonder if it was his default expression.

“What kind of dreams,” Akaashi hissed, “did you have?”

Bokuto obviously had not prepared for this question to ever occur.

“G-Good ones, I can assure you,” he stutters, cheeks flushing a bit pink.

“Really good ones,” Kuroo teases, and Bokuto looks legitimately terrified. 

Akaashi looks the slightest bit worried, Oikawa thinks, and when he and Bokuto step away from each other, there’s a bit of awkward tension throughout the entire group. Iwaizumi sighs, and Kenma’s holding onto Kuroo’s sleeve, and as he scans the circle of other boys, he sees that Akaashi is hiding his face in his hands. 

_Maybe he’s shy,_ Oikawa thought. _Even though he seems really solitary._

“What’s your name,” Akaashi mutters, “the one who dreams of me?”

Bokuto stands up straight. “B-Bokuto Koutarou,” he replies. 

“Akaashi Keiji.” 

Bokuto blinks at him. “It’s nice to put a name to the face.”

Kuroo lets out an audible groan. “Enough flirting, you two, we’ve got to get going.” 

Kenma takes the lead, ignoring the blushes from his friends, a smug expression on his face. He waves at two boys sitting on the front porch of a house a few down from Bokuto’s, and their faces light up at the sight of the massive group. 

Oikawa soon learns that their names are Izumi and Kouji, Kouji being native to Section Five, Izumi showing up similarly to how Iwaizumi landed in Oikawa’s garden. Introductions took place, Bokuto, Oikawa and Iwaizumi having never met the two of them. 

Shortly after, Kuroo points out that Ushijima’s in Section Five as well— which, as much as it confused Oikawa, he was definitely interested at the fact that Ushijima’s _traveling_ — only to find out that he’d encountered a boy their age named Tendou, and the two of them were staying in Section Five for a few days. They don’t see either of them as the tour of Five continues, but the group passes Tendou’s house, which Akaashi points out to them. 

It’s a bit thinner and taller than the other houses, Oikawa notices, and he thinks it looks a bit like a castle tower in children’s books. Except, of course, black and more of a rectangular prism shape. _Kind of_ like a castle.

 

When they get back to Iwaizumi’s house, it’s late at night, but both of them rush to their notebooks and record everything from today, Oikawa describing how things looked and the sound of voices and how Iwaizumi wrapped himself around him when they took the first fall. He hears Iwaizumi yawn, and he understands. They walked a good portion of Kenma’s neighborhood in Section Five, a solid two miles at least, although Oikawa’s more worn out from talking. Iwaizumi often says that he talks too much, but he ignores the comment, usually talking over him. Big surprise.

Iwaizumi doesn’t show Oikawa his notebook, and Oikawa wonders why, even though they saw the same things earlier in the day. Maybe he’ll show him one day. Iwaizumi slips his notebook back under the bed and rushes to the bathroom to change into pajamas to sleep in, and Oikawa changes in his own room, knowing full well that Iwaizumi will take long enough to get ready that he won’t have to worry about Oikawa standing half-dressed in the middle of the room.

Oikawa doesn’t show a lot of skin, ever. He wears a white tee shirt to bed, always some sweatpants as well. It’s just how he’s grown up, his parents telling him constantly that he should only show skin to whom he’s married to, and he’d grown accustomed to the rule. It didn’t bother him much. Sometimes, however, he was comfortable with not wearing sweatpants, sleeping in a shirt and boxers. 

On the other hand, Iwaizumi didn’t really care, and depending on the season, he would range from being fully clothed to sleeping only in boxers, and Oikawa didn’t mind it. 

Tonight, however, Oikawa— quite reluctantly— gets into his bed without a shirt, and Iwaizumi looks just as shocked as Oikawa feels uncertain about the situation. Nonetheless, Iwaizumi slides in next to him, and they fall asleep with ease, dreaming of the stars and the trees of Section Four, under the comfortable roof of Oikawa’s bedroom.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how was it ????????? enough ship for u and ur sins ?????????? yes
> 
> tumblr || fortyfiveangrycats / nekomoms / wakasatori (follow my ushiten blog for complete shit)


	4. for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It’s Oikawa’s seventeenth birthday, and Iwaizumi and him had done a full day of celebrating with traveling, but as he sat down on his bed for the night to go to sleep, he knew, deep down, that it wasn’t really what he’d planned for Oikawa’s birthday."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i always chicken out before writing actual smut :)))))
> 
> okay this is short but you'll understand why soon enough

It’s Oikawa’s seventeenth birthday, and Iwaizumi and him had done a full day of celebrating with traveling, but as he sat down on his bed for the night to go to sleep, he knew, deep down, that it wasn’t _really_ what he’d planned for Oikawa’s birthday.

“Thank you for this,” Oikawa whispers, sitting down next to him. “It was a very nice day today, and it wouldn’t have been this great if it wasn’t your idea.”

Iwaizumi likes the look in his eyes he gets when he’s satisfied— he’s drawn it millions of times— those big, brown eyes of his, a soft smile, a little scrunch of his nose. It’s truly a work of art, and he’s making the same expression right now. 

Iwaizumi reaches his hand out, placing it gently on the inside of Oikawa’s forearm, and he looks up to make sure his best friend is okay with this. 

“Hajime,” Oikawa half-gasps. 

“Tooru,” he responds, sliding his hand back down to Oikawa’s hand, softer than silk, and he thinks, that _maybe_ , Oikawa understands what’s happening. 

Oikawa’s hand clasps around his, and Iwaizumi’s free hand travels up Oikawa’s side, resting on his neck, and Oikawa smiles more beautifully than he’s ever seen. It’s shy, it’s kind, it’s _unreal_ , and Iwaizumi can’t help but lean in, feeling the heat radiate from Oikawa’s cheeks, and plant a sweet kiss onto his best friend’s lips. 

They _are_ soft, he realizes, and it’s even nicer when Oikawa kisses back, hands squeezing his own, Iwaizumi ruffling his soft, brown hair. 

“ _Hajime_ ,” Oikawa repeats. 

“Happy birthday,” Iwaizumi whispers. “I’m _so_ in love with you.”

Oikawa kisses him this time, and in seconds, he’s lying on top of Iwaizumi, rolling onto the bed, pulling the covers over their heads. 

“You’re beautiful,” Iwaizumi sighs. “It’s about time I kissed you, hmm?”

“Definitely.”

Iwaizumi can tell that Oikawa’s never kissed anyone before, so they kiss a ton more before ultimately falling asleep, but this time— _this time_ — Oikawa’s arms are wrapped around Iwaizumi, head resting against his chest, and they’ve both got the biggest smiles on their faces, like the complete losers they are.

 

 

On Oikawa’s eighteenth birthday, however, the two of them have just come back from a long day of traveling with Kuroo, Kenma, Bokuto and Akaashi, and they’re worn out. Not worn out as much from the _travel_ as watching the passionate makeouts between Akaashi and Bokuto, interestingly enough. 

“What an interesting way to spend your birthday,” Iwaizumi chuckles as he flops down backwards on the bed, next to his best-friend-made-boyfriend. “Watching your friends kissing.”

“I’d much rather it be _us_ kissing, y’know?” Oikawa’s hand finds Iwaizumi’s, and and both of them turn bright red. They’ve done this a thousand times before, but it gets them every time, and to Iwaizumi, that says something.

Iwaizumi rolls over, looking down on Oikawa, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Oh?” He begins. “Is that so?”

Oikawa pulls his head down for a quick kiss. “Obviously.”

Iwaizumi’s hands find Oikawa’s waistband, and Oikawa responds with a gasp.

“We’re old enough, and you know it,” he whispers. “Just tell me.”

“Please,” Oikawa sighs. “Hajime.”

Iwaizumi’s mind races with thoughts, wondering if this is a good idea, how much Oikawa knows— if he knows anything at all— for in Section One, parents do not tell their children how to have sex until they are at least eighteen, so Oikawa has had to learn via Iwaizumi and his friends over the years of dirty jokes and all of that. He presses a kiss to Oikawa’s forehead, ruffling his hair a bit. 

“It’s okay,” Iwaizumi says, “but it’s your call.”

Oikawa nods. “I’m calling you to tell you that you can undress me, Hajime.”

“Yeah,” breathes Iwaizumi, nervous already, “holy shit, Tooru, you’re fucking beautiful.” He pulls Oikawa’s shirt over his head, and Iwaizumi can feel his pulse elevating as he takes off his own, and they’re looking right at each other. 

Iwaizumi is so in love, and he wouldn’t ask for anything different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sin
> 
>  
> 
> tumblr || hajibean (url change) / nekomoms / wakasatori


	5. i ran away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi holds his hand and they walk towards the ladder, and Oikawa knows, he knows, everything definitely will not be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooooo boy here it goes!!!!!!! this is the fun part
> 
> also: if you get triggered or bothered by anxiety attacks or severe breakdowns, ctrl-f from "Those words echo in Oikawa’s head" to “Goodbye, mom,” and it should be okay!! just as a fair warning it gets more intense from here so if you need to stop reading for any reason i completely understand
> 
> holy shit are you ready for this because i am nOT

Oikawa follows after Iwaizumi, clinging tightly onto his sleeve, after receiving a rather urgent call from Nishinoya, telling them to “be there immediately.” At this point, both of them are nineteen, and it’s mid-April, which is Oikawa’s favorite time of year. He likes the way that the flowers grow, how— even in places like Section Five — there are _always_ flowers in April. His own garden is still beautiful, but it has been long since well-tended to, due to the frequent travel of Iwaizumi and himself. Vines from roses are overgrown and wrapped around the fence, the tree branches jutting out everywhere in the yard, the little bench covered in ivy leaves. 

Iwaizumi’s eyes are filled with worry, and there’s a definite aura of fear emanating from him. Oikawa only holds on tighter, muttering words of comfort under his breath, but he knows it’s hard to destroy Iwaizumi’s fear, so it really, really hurts to witness him like this.

He knows something bad is definitely going to happen when Iwaizumi grabs his wrist instead, holding tight, walking straight ahead for the meeting point Nishinoya told them about. Oikawa can see Nishinoya, and he _really_ knows it’s bad when Nishinoya has the same expression on his face as Iwaizumi, lips parted slightly, eyes wide and drowning with worry. He climbs down a ladder leading up to the meeting place— a treehouse that Oikawa’s heard about from Iwaizumi many times— and he greets them quickly, climbing back up with the two of them following along afterwards.

At the top, there’s a few familiar faces. Bokuto, Akaashi, Kuroo, and Kenma are sitting down, a sheet of paper sitting between them. Bokuto is most definitely crying, Akaashi’s eyes are puffy and red, Kenma is completely pale-faced, and Kuroo is squeezing his hand, tears rolling down his cheeks. Oikawa’s stomach drops.

“U-Um,” Nishinoya begins. “There’s been an attack on Five.”

Oikawa’s head begins to spin. _An attack? How is that possible? From who?_

“Tooru,” whispers Iwaizumi. “You know how we never talk about Section Fifteen? How we never travel to Section Fifteen?”

Oikawa learns soon that Section Fifteen is secured, that no one comes out of Section Fifteen after they go in, and there’s a very good reason for that. It’s holding all of the criminals in the Sections, and after the gates were opened between the worlds, word managed to get to the residents of Fifteen. 

Which, of course, prompted for them to begin more desperately trying to find an escape. And, after five and a half years of development, they were able to come up with technology to get them out of the planet and get revenge on the people who imprisoned them. That’s the thing, however, with Section Fifteen. There are no jails or cells, nothing to keep the criminals in one spot. They were able to get around and come up with ideas, and with prodigies-gone-wrong being thrown into the bunch, Section Fifteen had a dramatic advance in technology. Of course, the first place they would attack is Section Five, which has the weapons and the technology, the smartest people in all of the Sections dwelled there.

“We’ve got more coming,” Nishinoya shuddered. “Izumi and Kouji are trying to get back safely. Same with Tendou and Ushijima. We’re trying to locate them in the case that they can’t get to us.”

“We’re very lucky,” Akaashi said, “I looked someone in the eye who had a gun pointed right towards me.”

Bokuto let out a little sob. Akaashi leaned over, ruffling his hair, giving his hand a quick squeeze.

“Nishinoya, you’ve still got a bit to say, right?” Kuroo asked, Nishinoya nodding in response.

“Yeah, yeah,” he dug his heel into the floor. “I’ve been contacted by the Section Leader—” he paused to nod at Iwaizumi, the Section Leader of Four being his own mother— “to lead a small team into the fighting zones to hold the criminals back. I’ve got a list planned out. There are other teams being formed as well, and hospital crews are already being set up. They’ve seen this coming, I can tell.”

He picked up the paper sitting in the center of the group. A list of names.

“These are the people I would wish to be at my side in this horrible time,” he began, “From Section One: Oikawa Tooru, Kuroo Tetsurou, Ushijima Wakatoshi, and Sawamura Daichi.” 

Upon finishing the list, two more appeared at the base of the ladder, Ushijima himself, as well as Tendou, with his arm in a bandage.

“Holy shit,” Iwaizumi cursed, peering over the edge. “Goddamn, Ushijima, he’s been hit, hasn’t he?”

Ushijima gave a quick nod, letting Tendou climb onto his back as the climbed up the ladder to meet the rest of the group. Iwaizumi left Oikawa’s side to help them up, making sure Tendou hadn’t lost too much blood.

“They were fast,” Tendou sighed, patting the bandages. “They were really fucking fast. A bunch of ‘em, all wearing black, and they all started firing at us. Kouji and Izumi are okay. They’re right behind us.”

Tendou nodded to Nishinoya, and he continued with the list. 

“From Section Two: Sugawara Koushi. I was hoping Matsukawa was available, but he’s in a different group. I’m pissed,” Nishinoya sighed. “Anyways. Section Three: Azumane Asahi...” his voice trailed off, and his gaze dropped to the floor.

“From S-Section Four: Iwaizumi Hajime and Bokuto Koutarou. From Section Five: Kozume Kenma, Tendou Satori, Akaashi Keiji, and Sekimukai Kouji. From Section Six: Yukitaka Izumi. From Section Nine: Kageyama Tobio. From Section Ten: Hinata Shouyou. From Section Eleven: Tsukishima Kei. From Section Twelve: Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

A silence fell between the group. Oikawa was in disbelief, mainly over how just yesterday he had been eating Iwaizumi’s cereal and taking walks in the sunset, and now he would be in a fighting group to protect his Section. He let out a sob, and the rest of them agreed with the gesture, freely letting out their emotions.

He didn’t think he’d ever see Ushijima crying, but with his eyes falling on Tendou’s bloody bandage, tears beginning to fall. Oikawa couldn’t help but understand.

“When are we going in, Noya?” Oikawa asks.

Nishinoya’s expression hasn’t shifted. It’s still dark, like he’s not prepared to say anything he’s had to so far.

“Tomorrow,” he answers. “We’re going in _tomorrow_.”

“We’ve got to get supplies and backpacks together,” Kenma adds. “Which means going back to Five.”

Kuroo looks down at the floor. “At least let _me_ go, Kenma, they’re not targeting me for being a technology prodigy like they’re targeting you, Tendou, Kouji, and Akaashi.” 

“I can’t let you do that,” Akaashi said, looking at Bokuto as well. “That’s a horrible idea, Kuroo, please, both of you are going to get hurt— holy _SHIT!_ ”

There’s a snap, and immediately, Bokuto and Kuroo disappear from the treehouse without a trace, and everyone bows their heads in response. Akaashi’s expression is filled with something Oikawa can’t read, something like shock and anger, and his hands are trembling.

“Hey, they’ll be okay,” Kenma comforts him, putting his hand on Akaashi’s forearm, speaking softly. “They always come back, don’t they?”

There’s another crack a few seconds later, before anyone can react, and Akaashi jumps to see if it’s Bokuto, but it’s not, and he drops back onto the floor. Daichi and Suga are climbing the ladder, having received the same message from Nishinoya. Oikawa’s met Suga a few times, but they’ve never held an actual conversation, and he’s sure that this isn’t the way he wants to talk to him. 

“Oh, god, I’m sorry we’re so late,” Suga apologizes, and Nishinoya pats him on the back, beckoning for him to sit down. Nishinoya checks their names off of the list, and he looks anxiously around at the base of the tree for any more of them. Sure enough, there’s a pop, and four more appear at the roots, Kouji and Izumi at the front, Izumi catching Kouji as he lands with shaky feet. The two in the back Oikawa doesn’t recognize, but Nishinoya does, and he’s waving frantically at them.

“Holy shit, I’m glad you guys are okay,” he sighs. “Kageyama, Hinata, are you packed up already?”

Kageyama’s oddly familiar to Oikawa, he reminds him of Iwaizumi a little bit in the way he stands, the scowl on his face, the way he holds onto Hinata’s sleeve. Hinata, on the other hand, is bright and new to Oikawa, wide eyes and messy hair, and the both of them are wearing black boots that hit their knees and big backpacks, which Oikawa knows are stuffed with supplies. Kouji and Izumi haven’t packed, they’re wearing everyday outfits (although, for Section Five, this means skin-tight black clothing) and both of them look incredibly winded. 

“Did any of you get hit?” Suga asks, patting down each of them as they got to the top of the ladder. Upon seeing Kageyama and Hinata, he pulled them into a hug.

“Suga...” Hinata groans, “you saw us last week, we haven’t been gone that long.”

“Yeah,” he sniffs in response, “but I was worried, y’know? Come on, get inside.”

Akaashi picks up his Communicator, a very obvious scowl on his face.

“Koutarou, get your ass back here, I swear to—”

He’s cut off by crackling from the other end, a little bit of laughter added on. 

“Keiji? Is that you? Jeez, don’t be so worried! Kuroo and I’ll be right back! We’ve got a shit ton of stuff in sight, we’ve just got to get it bagged up, y’know?”

Akaashi sighs, lifting the little white box to his mouth. “If you don’t come back safe, I’ll punch you.”

“Yeah, but if I’m dead or something, how could you—”

Akaashi hangs up. Oikawa knows, he can tell, Akaashi doesn’t even want to think about that possibility. 

Two more figures appear at the base, and Oikawa doesn’t recognize them either. The first is blonde and very tall, he’s wearing glasses and has a bandage around one of his hands. The second is only a bit shorter, with black hair and tan skin with freckles.

“Tsukishima! Yamaguchi!” Nishinoya shouts, picking up his list and checking off the two names. He’s able to re-explain everything to the newcomers in the group before Bokuto and Kuroo finally show up again, and Akaashi doesn’t speak for a solid twenty minutes after they get back.

“I’m not too late, am I?” A new voice says, and Oikawa’s completely positive he hasn’t heard this one before.

But Nishinoya has, and he stands completely still, creeping slowly towards the ladder to meet the new voice in person. 

“Asahi,” he says, but it’s more like a breathy whisper, and he’s almost tearing up. “You actually showed up.”

Asahi stands up, and Oikawa can tell that there’s definitely a backstory between these two. Asahi has his dark red hair pulled into a ponytail and he’s got dirt smeared on the side of his face, and Nishinoya actually goes up and brushes it off, much to Daichi and Suga’s surprise.

Asahi’s in just as much shock, or at least, the expression plastered on his face says so. He sits down in the circle like everyone else, and Nishinoya quickly goes over the information for the fourth time, making sure everyone understands. 

“From what I remember, there’s three other groups like ours that are going into combat tomorrow. The first is head by Terushima Yuuji, the second by Ennoshita Chikara, and the third by Michimiya Yui,” Nishinoya adds at the end, and there’s chatter at the names. Daichi jumps at Michimiya’s name, and Suga bows his head. Nishinoya’s voice trembles as he says Ennoshita’s, and Iwaizumi and Tendou both scoff at the mention of Terushima. 

“Alright, everyone, that concludes our meeting. Please—” he pauses, “—please meet back here tomorrow at noon with everything that you need. I hate to say it, but it might be the last time we’re all together as a group.”

Those words echo in Oikawa’s head for the rest of the night, and he’s breathing heavily as Iwaizumi and he return to the house, and he gets slightly dizzy at the thought of having to fatally wound someone— anyone— and he grips at nothing when he’s in his room with Iwaizumi, instead, crashing down on the bed. 

“Tooru!” Iwaizumi shouts, leaping on top of him, and Oikawa can see the crease between his eyebrows. He’s as worried as Oikawa is, and that’s a bit reassuring, but it’s not slowing down his heartbeat at all.

“Tooru, look at me,” Iwaizumi whispers. “What’re we going to do when we get out of this?” 

Oikawa wonders if it’s a trick question. “H-Hajime, I don’t know, we don’t even know if we’re actually _going_ to get out of this—”

“I said,” Iwaizumi begins, a little bit louder, “what are we going to do when we get out of this?”

Oikawa takes a deep breath. “We’re going to get a house in Section Four together. In the woods. In the quiet. A little lake in the backyard.”

Iwaizumi sighs. “Yeah, we are, because we’re going to get out of this together, and anything else is not a fucking option, do you understand?” And Oikawa does, he does understand, he finally gets it. He’s not letting go of Iwaizumi or himself anytime soon.

 

“Goodbye, mom,” he whispers, the clock ticking close to noon. “I’ll... I’ll come back, I promise. Both of us will.” Oikawa hugs his mother, and he tells himself that it won’t be the last time they see each other. It hurts.

“Tooru, Hajime,” she responds, “you look out for each other, alright?” She pats them both on the backs, and instead of going out the front door, Oikawa drags Iwaizumi to the back, to the garden. 

“Goodbye, garden,” he mutters, “it won’t be the last time I see you either.” 

He faces Iwaizumi, and Iwaizumi closes his eyes, putting his hands around Oikawa’s wrists, and there’s a snap, and they’re gone. They’re flying through space, and when they hit solid ground, they’re twenty feet from the treehouse, and Oikawa’s crying within seconds of touching the dirt. Iwaizumi holds his hand and they walk towards the ladder, and Oikawa knows, he knows, everything definitely will not be okay.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haHA ha ha HA AHA A aha hA hahahaH ah ahah aha ah 
> 
> wwhy don't you make a prediction on who's gonna die first !!! thats a horrible way to get things going !!!!!!! also i'll answer but i won't tell you if you're right and i have all of the deaths planned already so it's set in stone lm A o
> 
> bonus points if you add how 
> 
> tumblr || hajibean / nekomoms / wakasatori


	6. murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa’s breath hitches when Nishinoya announces that they’ll be leaving in less than ten minutes, and Iwaizumi quickly kisses his temple, and he can feel how damp Oikawa’s cheeks are. He understands.  
>  Kuroo approaches the two of them, his hand in his hair, taking a deep breath as he steps closer.  
>  “Hey, um, how are you?” He begins, and Oikawa blinks at him in shock.  
>  “I’m scared as fuck, Kuroo, aren’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yOU GUESSED IT!!!! THE FUN CHAPTER IS FINALLY HERE
> 
> im not ready either trust me this hurt a lot to write

Iwaizumi’s feet touch the platform at the end of the ladder and he lets out a long sigh, like that was the worst part of everything that’s happened. He looks at Oikawa, two paces in front of him, and he tries to smile a bit, reassured that his partner is with him. Though, it’s not reassuring when he looks at the other couples— Akaashi looks incredibly sleep deprived, and surprisingly, Bokuto does, too, Asahi and Nishinoya still aren’t making actual conversation, Tendou and Ushijima are both staring deadpan at the wall, and Kuroo’s squeezing Kenma’s hand every few seconds to calm himself down. Iwaizumi sighs in defeat and leans against the corner of the treehouse.

Oikawa entangles his fingers with Iwaizumi, giving him an unsure smile, but Iwaizumi knows that he’s just trying to help. It’s working a little bit.

Kageyama and Hinata are the last to show up at the treehouse, and immediately, Nishinoya begins handing everyone supplies— weapons, blankets, batteries— and Iwaizumi feels Oikawa’s heart start to beat faster, so he squeezes his boyfriend’s wrist.

Iwaizumi narrows his eyes as Bokuto waves off Nishinoya handing him a gun, instead pulling out a sniper rifle, which was absolutely _terrifying_ to Iwaizumi, and he slings it over his shoulder. Akaashi has throwing knives tied to his belt, Kageyama’s holding a bow, and Tendou’s holding a stun gun. Nishinoya nods at each of them and proceeds to hand out the remainder of the supplies. He stops in front of Iwaizumi, his shoulders dropping.

“This is it, isn’t it, old friend?” 

Iwaizumi can’t even look at him. “I... I guess it is,” he mumbles, holding out a hand for Nishinoya’s own gloved hand to shake back, and they’re at the verge of tears.

“You’re a good commander, Noya,” Bokuto says, “and we trust you. We’re all together, and... we won’t _really_ be separated, if you think about it.”

Iwaizumi sees from the corner of his eyesight when Kenma’s gaze relaxes, and Izumi rests his head on Kouji’s shoulder, Kouji smiling weakly and pulling a black beanie over his best friend’s head. 

Oikawa’s breath hitches when Nishinoya announces that they’ll be leaving in less than ten minutes, and Iwaizumi quickly kisses his temple, and he can feel how damp Oikawa’s cheeks are. He understands.

Kuroo approaches the two of them, his hand in his hair, taking a deep breath as he steps closer.

“Hey, um, how are you?” He begins, and Oikawa blinks at him in shock.

“I’m scared as fuck, Kuroo, aren’t you?” He sighs, and Iwaizumi tightens his grip on him to make sure he doesn’t lurch at anyone.

Kuroo nods, “We all are. I just... I just wanted to make sure you had everything? Um, Kenma wanted to say something earlier, but he’s not feeling great right now, so... I guess...”

“It’s alright, Kuroo, we can do this,” Iwaizumi adds, and Kuroo pats his shoulder.

“I’m gonna head back to Kenma. Thank you both,” he concludes, his boots tapping against the wooden floor as he walked back over to the corner where Kenma was now sitting. 

Chatter spread through the group, nervous mumbling to crying, hand-holding and hugs and good-luck messages. Iwaizumi sighed once more, pulling Oikawa into a hug, pressing his nose to Oikawa’s shoulder, and he feels tears being absorbed into the fabric of his shirt. 

“Yeah,” he whispers, “I know.”

Iwaizumi looks at Oikawa as the pull away from the hug, and there’s a new fear in Oikawa’s eyes, and his face is paler than it’s ever been before. His hands begin to shake, and Iwaizumi steadies them with his own hands.

“Tooru,” he says, “what’s wrong?”

“Everything, Hajime,” he responds, “but I just thought...”

“What?”

“Hajime, do you know what happened to my father?”

Iwaizumi tilts his head to the side in confusion. “No, but I thought—”

Tooru cuts him off. “Yeah, I don’t either. I think we might find out sometime soon, and... Oh _god_ , Hajime, I’m not ready, _I’m not ready_ , I can’t do this—”

“Shit. Tooru, calm down, we’re gonna be alright, I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay? But you think... You think he’s...” Iwaizumi can’t even fathom, he can’t even think about the possibility that Oikawa would have to look his father in the eye in the heat of a battle, to even...

“Alright,” the trembling voice of Nishinoya cuts his thoughts off— he’s thankful for that— “We’re got to get going, you guys. We’ve got a crew in Section Nineteen who can retrieve you if you get injured.” He holds his Communicator up to his ear for a second, and nods slowly.

“It looks like we’re heading to Section Two,” he says, and a few people look in Suga’s direction. He goes pale.

Within minutes, Nishinoya calls the group, and he arranges them in a wide circle, quickly scanning the group, making sure everyone is present.

He takes a deep breath before addressing everyone. 

“Okay,” he begins, “We’re going to all travel together, in one big group like this. Everyone will have to hold onto the people standing next to them, and I’ll transport us to each location. The only other thing I have to cover is that the Section Leaders have ordered me to make sure that no one goes directly to the meeting point and tries to shut down Section Fifteen, and that anyone in our group from Section Five is going to be more of a target than anyone else. By shutting Section Fifteen down, it would ensure than no one is able to transport in or out of it. The Section Leaders have simply ordered us to hold the convicts back until they can get things under control again, but as a last resort, we are allowed to shut it down ourselves if we can get to the main meeting point in Section One. The only people here who are able to successfully do so are the Section Fives, due to their extensive knowledge of technology, so if we get to that point, we’ll need the assistance of one of them. Understood?” 

In unison, everyone nods, and Nishinoya looks nervous— but he’s satisfied, and that’s all that matters. He reaches his arms out to Daichi and Asahi on either sides of him, holding onto their wrists, and everyone else mirrors the action. There’s a flash, a pop, and they’re soaring hundreds of thousands of miles away, and the group lands with a crash on the surface of Section Two. Iwaizumi helps the others stand up, as he’s very used to the feel of traveling, and he pulls Oikawa up first, gently patting his shoulder. Suga had fallen on his shoulder in the midst of it all, and Iwaizumi hoists him up with the assistance of Daichi. 

“Thank you,” Suga whispers, breathy and scared. “This isn’t what I wanted to come back to my home for,” he adds, and the others understand. They’ll all be doing it too.

There’s a gunshot in the distance, and that’s really what swings the mood of the group, and Iwaizumi is in awe as Bokuto’s hand flies to his sniper, Akaashi’s already holding a few of his knives, and Suga— who, Iwaizumi is pretty sure had, at the very _least_ , strained his shoulder— had hold on not just _one_ , but _two handguns_.

“That’s the reaction we need to have,” Nishinoya commands, turning towards some of the more hesitant of the group, like Izumi, Kouji, Yamaguchi, and Oikawa— who as a matter of fact, was visibly trembling— and nodding. 

“Hajime,” Oikawa calls out, and Iwaizumi responds with a single glance, telling Oikawa that they’ll be okay, that they _have_ to do this if they’re going to ever be happy together again.

The remainder of the group pulls out their weapons, and underneath the shelters of the modern, city-like structure of Section Two, they file into a small alleyway between two larger buildings. There are a lot of people on the rooftops, Iwaizumi can hear that, and his heart begins to gradually beat faster as they collect themselves. 

“So, Noya, is there a... a plan? That we should be following?” Hinata asks, Nishinoya sighs in response, and Iwaizumi can’t tell whether he’s tired of explaining or he’s just catching his breath. There’s a large probability that it’s a little bit of both.

“If you see any of the Section Fifteens, shoot them,” his voice trembles, “and... don’t hesitate.” 

It gets tense between the group almost instantly.

“What?” Tendou asks, stunned. “No hesitation? Isn’t that a bit harsh?”  
Nishinoya cringes. “Well, if you’ve got a better idea, please speak up now, before there’s a risk we’re getting shot, okay?”

When no one speaks, he continues, “Um, although, if someone gets grabbed by the Fifteens, wait until the area is clear before going after them. We don’t want to blow the cover of the whole group, do we? There’s only a few more fives in squads like ours, so we have to make sure they have priority.”

Ushijima wraps a scarf around Tendou’s wrist, patting him on the back.

“It’s for the best,” he states simply, and Tendou nods. 

Iwaizumi’s hand finds Oikawa’s again, reassuring them both.

“Suga, you know this place best,” Nishinoya begins, “Please lead us.”

Suga raises his eyebrow in surprise, but he leads the group further down the alleyway, where it branches off into two separate roads.

“This is about three blocks from my house. I’ve gone back here loads of times,” he informs them, turning to walk down a thinner path. 

“It leads to a little elevator, and you can walk on the top of the buildings seamlessly. It’s useful if you don’t want people to find you, but there are definitely going to be some Fifteens up there,” Suga continues.

“Fifteens are going to be there anyways,” Tsukishima says bluntly.

“Well— Yeah, of course they are, but it’s going to be harder to see them. Luckily, there’s a lot places to hide, and if we _are_ found, we’ve got enough weapons to hold them back. Don’t worry yourselves too much.”

Yamaguchi and Hinata sigh in unison.

The elevator is small, at least, for a group of _eighteen people_ , but they cram in together and Suga presses the buttons to get to the top. Iwaizumi holds Oikawa to his chest to save room, and Oikawa presses his face into the space between Iwaizumi’s neck and shoulder. Kenma gets on Kuroo’s shoulders— Hinata and Kageyama copying these motions— while Izumi and Kouji, small enough already, cramp together in the corner. Ushijima, Bokuto, Iwaizumi and Tendou take up most of the space in the elevator, and anyone of lighter weight finds a pocket to fit inside.

The rooftops are beautiful, however, and everyone lets out a large breath as they step off of the elevator, recollecting themselves. 

Daichi taps Suga on the shoulder. “Suga, do you know what—”

Suga’s expression is filled with panic. “Shit, Daichi. They knew. They knew. We’ve got to get down, everybody, get down right now.”

“What do you mean, “they knew”, Suga? What did they know?” Oikawa asks.

“Just get down! Get behind the walls around the perimeter up here and stay there until I tell you to get back up!” Nishinoya orders before Suga can answer, but the glance they exchange shows that Suga was going to say the same thing. Without thinking, Iwaizumi grabs Oikawa’s wrist and drags him down below the top of the wall, both of them having to army crawl to move around. The others copy the motion, and Suga stays on his knees only, looking out into the horizon of the cityline. It’s only a bit after one-o-clock, but the skies of Section Two are always tinted in sunset, and it’s hard to see around.

Suga holds up one of his handguns and fires randomly out over the roof of another building, and Daichi pulls him down, Nishinoya and Asahi perking up at the noise, the remainder of the group completely jumping.

“Suga, what the hell?” Kageyama hisses, and Hinata elbows him in the gut.

“Kageyama, he’s...” Yamaguchi’s voice is a whisper, “He’s checking to see if the Fifteens are still here.”

They’re answered with gunshots— ten in a row— and Suga saying “Yeah, they’re here.”

Iwaizumi can feel Oikawa’s heartbeat spike, and Nishinoya cues them to get up, that it’s time to fight for the first time.

He stands up after the cue, and thirty feet directly in front of Iwaizumi stands a whole row of Fifteens— he quickly counts that there’s seven— and Oikawa yelps, both of them with hands around their guns. Nishinoya shoots out, hitting one of them hard in the chest, and the group watches in awe as the Fifteen falls backward onto their own rooftop. 

“What are you waiting for?” He shouts, biting back tears, and Suga hits one in the shoulder. The shout that echoes through the building tops gives Iwaizumi a chill, and he shoots aimlessly at one of the Fifteens, actually managing to hit one in the hand, who winces and wraps some cloth around their palm.

“Shit!” Someone yells, and Iwaizumi turns for a second to see that the voice came from Yamaguchi, who’s staring in shock at Tsukishima, who has a bleeding gash on his cheek.

“Yamaguchi, get him down, alright?” Asahi asks, and the younger boy complies, ripping some fabric from the bottom of his shirt to make a bandage and hold it on the wound. 

Oikawa’s wrist is still trembling, and Iwaizumi steadies him, and he takes a shot, missing one of the Fifteens just barely. He sighs, but Iwaizumi helps him pull the trigger again, and it hits one in the same spot as Tsukishima, and they grunt in pain.

Bokuto’s finally gotten ahold of his rifle, shooting endlessly at the group ahead, and Akaashi throws a knife that hits directly into the neck of the Fifteen on the end, who falls forward instead of back, and Akaashi’s eyes are wide as he watches the first life he’s taken. Kenma’s handing Kuroo little spheres that react with force, and when he throws one at the wall, it explodes and takes a chunk out of the building.

Kageyama shoots an arrow through a Fifteen, and Ushijima manages to take out one of them after three shots, and Iwaizumi recounts the group. There’s only two Fifteens left. Suga and Daichi aim for the same person, and they watch as the Fifteen sinks down behind the wall. The last one fires a few rogue shots, one of them barely missing Oikawa, and Iwaizumi angrily shrieks, shooting directly ahead, and again, and again, and again, and the last Fifteen finally falls.

Iwaizumi turns to Oikawa, holding his head between his hands. “Are you okay?”

“That... That was really scary, Hajime,” Oikawa breathes. “But... Thank you.”

Iwaizumi nods, returning to the rest of the group.

Yamaguchi had made a bandage for Tsukishima, and Asahi was helping, Izumi and Kouji both looking at the group sadly, and Kageyama and Hinata both were panting.

“Hey, Kouji, Izumi, what’s going on?” Kuroo asks. 

“I... I missed every shot,” Kouji looks away, not meeting Kuroo’s gaze.

“I didn’t take any,” Izumi adds on. “I don’t want to kill anyone.”

Nishinoya steps in next to them. “That’s alright. We still defeated them, okay? But next time, try to shoot more, try to... try to hit someone. It’s rough, and none of us want to do this, but just... just try, okay? I won’t judge.”

The two younger boys nod, and Kuroo and Bokuto pat their heads. 

“No!” Suga screams, and everyone turns towards the source of the sound.

“Oh my god,” Iwaizumi breathes.

Tendou sinks down to his knees, and there’s a few gasps as Iwaizumi focuses in on the fact that there’s a bloody gash in his stomach. He laughs, and this catches everyone off guard.

“Wakatoshi,” he whispers, and Ushijima’s at his side, holding his hand.

“Not you,” Ushijima responds. “You keep me sane.”

“You’re sane without me, you brick,” Tendou’s hands are trembling as he holds them out to Ushijima. 

“I’m going to Nineteen,” Ushijima declares, punching in the numbers on his Transporter, and before anyone can say anything, he and Tendou are gone, and the last thing remaining of their image is the tears that Ushijima cries, and there’s a remote drop of blood on the ground. 

Everyone is silent.

“This is my fault,” Suga shakes, “If I hadn’t led you all here, he wouldn’t have— we wouldn’t have had to— and Tsukishima, your cheek, I’m—”

“Suga,” Kenma whispers. “You didn’t know. None of us could have predicted this.”

 

Ushijima comes back alone, his eyes are red and puffy— which, Iwaizumi thought he would never see— and everyone assumes the worst.

They’re right.

“He’s dead,” Ushijima says with a shaking voice. “Satori’s dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aren't you glad i didnt follow through with my plan to post this on valentine's day lol
> 
> also i killed one of my faves so im :^((((
> 
> tumblr || hajibean / wakasatori (if you need to cope with the ushiten feels) / nekomoms

**Author's Note:**

> this was the shortest chapter ever bc its the prologue but!!!! i hope u liked !!! more coming soon!!!!
> 
> tumblr || fortyfiveangrycats / nekomoms


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